Hi friends.

In the midst of a trip like this, it’s amazing how many random experiences and memorable lessons arise.  From that file, I offer these miscellaneous bits…

• The people of the Middle East are by and large some of the most friendly people I’ve met.  I’m sure there are some grumpy, unpleasant ones too, but we’ve been blessed by many of the “good ones” during these days.
• When the Bible speaks of the Israelites spending forty years “in the wilderness”, it’s not joking.  Webster defines wilderness as “a tract or region uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings”.  Um… yes… that’s the land of Sinai in every sense of the word.  Trekking through there for FORTY YEARS… beyond my imagination!  It had to be a faith-building process; perhaps that’s EXACTLY what it was aimed to be.
• My sweet wife gave me a vacation gift after we left: Anne Rice’s latest novel “The Road to Cana”… a real beauty!  That woman can write, and her latest two books do good things in the minds of any who wonder what those pre-public-ministry days of Jesus might have looked like through his eyes.  Very intriguing threads of thought… 
• Camels are among the gassiest members of the animal kingdom–you can mark that down as truth.
• Food served at tables surrounded by cushions, beside the ocean… DOES taste better than normal food.  You can mark that down as another truth.
• The Pattersons are among the “funnest” members of the human kingdom to travel with–you can mark that down as one couple’s opinion.
• Does anyone else feel lazy when they travel and constantly encounter people who fluently speak anywhere from two to a dozen languages?!
• If you’re ever snorkeling and see a pink thread in the water, don’t continue swimming with your forehead out front… because those tentacles of jellyfish… yeah, those DO sting!  My sweet wife reminded me of what we learned on “Survivor” a few years back… you’re supposed to pee on a jellyfish sting, aren’t you?!  Riiiiiigggghhhhhtttttt…
• Once again, it was confirmed for me that the ocean is really another world!  The colours and shapes of the creatures down there just seem to blow everything above the water away.  It’s crazy to think that all of that life down there goes on each day, hardly even seen by human eyes.  Quite a world!
• The saddles that are placed on camels are too small for the average person.  Mark that down as truth.  And why on earth there aren’t stirrups on these beasts is beyond me!  Those two little bumps on the bottoms of the human pelvis… those are now called “camel bones”… and riding camels smashes them.  Mark it down for future reference.
• The border crossing from Israel to Egypt takes only 10 minutes to get through.  Unless you get stuck in line behind every passenger of a tour bus… then it takes nearly 2 hours.
• Falafel, shwarma, and hummous are delicious foods.  If you eat them for every meal for three days, then this fact is up for debate.
• The best Greek salads I’ve ever had are in Egypt.  (Don’t tell the Greeks.)
• Barb and Shannon agree that any land with massages and pedicures for $20 or less is a great place to be.  Their husbands agree.
  
• Traveler’s cheques are stupid.  I’ve never had so much trouble getting money, as I have with these fancy pieces of paper in these lovely places.  The age of ATM’s is a beautiful thing.
• Holidays are good; home is a sweet thing too.
  

One last supper in Egypt is calling.  Tomorrow brings us back to Israel on a 6 AM bus.  We’ll have a few final days of exploring the southern half of the country before getting to Tel Aviv for the flight home.

Much love to you back at home.  We’ll see you soon.

I’m not sure it’s been what I expected so far.

I’m not sure what I WAS expecting… perhaps some magical feeling or some special sense of inspiration.  Don’t get me wrong, being in the holy land has been great, but it hasn’t had that drug-like effect that some might hope for.  Maybe I was hoping for that.

In many ways, the holy land is just another place.

But it’s NOT “just another place”.

It’s the land where the Bible “happened”!  Every field and hill is the sight of a grand story.  Kings among the greatest in history fought and ruled and died just steps from where I’m typing.  Our feet have carried us through at least two gates through which Jesus’ feet also carried him.  We stood atop a mound of rock, where David very likely stood admiring his kingdom many years ago.  Olive trees old enough to have heard Jesus’ prayers in the garden are now caught in digitized forms in my camera.

No, this is definitely not “just another place”.

Yet a dominating thought over the past few days has been that I need to more greatly value whatever place I am given.  Back in Canada, I am set next month to preach a series called, “Things Jesus Hates About Religion”; I’ve observed some of those things in this place.

Pilgrims come desperate to pull power from these spots where God once touched down, and to take this power home with them.  Prayers prayed in one location are deemed to be more force-filled than those uttered elsewhere.  God is sought and wanted, especially in forms that are easily boxed, bartered over, and bought.  If the Divine is ready to travel, the crowds here are ready to ship Him home.

But home isn’t “just another place” either.

It’s already a place soaked with the Father of all people.

It’s already a place where His Spirit blows anew every morning.

It’s already a place where lives lived in love and goodness are powerful tools in the redemption of all creation.

And it’s a place where God is found by those who humbly open themselves to Him.

In those senses, the “holy land” spreads a lot farther than we think… and THAT is some of what I likely needed to find in this place so far.

Below is an email I just sent to my family.  You’ve invited to be “part of the gang”, if you wish… 

Hi all,

We’ve had zero access to the internet until today, but we’ve been alive and well the whole time so far!  We just arrived in Jerusalem this afternoon, after four days in the Galilee region.  There are some amazing things to see here, and even the simple act of driving the countryside just makes me shake my head… King Solomon built stables on that mountain… the Assyrian empire destroyed this city on their way to Jerusalem… Deborah led the people through this valley… Saul and Jonathan died in these hills somewhere… Jesus grew up a few miles from where I’m sleeping… crazy thoughts! 

Our hotel is just inside the city walls of Jerusalem’s Old City.  We went exploring just an hour ago–went strolling on the Via Dolorosa, thought to be the road Jesus walked on the way to the cross.  This whole land is like the biggest museum on earth; every corner seems to bring something else.  Part of it is the age of this place, but its small size just highlights things because it’s as if layer after layer of history are just piled on top of one another.

Food’s been great so far, and our accomodations have been comfortable.  Things are expensive here–more than Canada–so our we-love-cheap-things-in-Asia experiences are making this seem pricey.  Ah well, we’re here and won’t be in a few weeks, so we’ll enjoy the experience while it lasts.

Pass this on to anyone you think might care to read it.

Love to you all,
Jason